Voltage regulator



Aug. 30, 1932. C w H L 1,874,981

VOLTAGE REGULATOR Filed Oct. 2. 1928 INVENTOR LA CE W. HANSELL AT RNEYPatented Aug. 30, 1932 errata stares PATENT' oFFICE CLARENCE HANSELL, 0FROCKY- POINT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO RADIO CORPORA- TION OF AMERICA, ACORPORATION OF DELAWARE VOLTAGE REGULATOR Application filed 0ctober 2,1928. Serial No. 309,876.

and is supplied at a high potential. The load is varied over an extremerange with exceedingly great rapidity by the modulation applied to thetransmission energy, whether it be code or speech. Under thesecircumstances it becomes difficult to keep the direct voltage constant,and to provide the usual types of voltage regulator is not feasiblebecause of the rapidity of the load variation.

To provide a voltage regulator which is suitable for the purposesalready outlined is the primary object of my invention, and to this endI employ avoltage regulating triode the cathode to anode circuit ofwhich is connected in series with the supply circuit, the triodeconstituting an inertialess variable impedance. A resistance isconnected in series with the supply circuit, and this is so coupled tothe control electrode of the voltage regulating triode that thepotential applied to the control electrode is varied inversely inresponse to variations of the potential drop across the resistance. Morespecifically, the desired effect is transferred through a second triode,the series resistance being used to determine the potential on thecontrol elec trode of the second triode, while another resistance in theanode of the second triode determines the potential applied to thecontrol electrode of the voltage regulating triode.

Circuit breakers have been designed for operation up to three thousandvolts, but their operation on the higher voltages is not verysatisfactory, and the voltage mentioned does not approach that commonlyused on the anodes of large sized transmitter tubes. A further object ofmy invention is to provide a high tension circuit breaker, and for thispurpose I employ any suitable over load relay in series with the directcurrent circuit, and use the relay to apply a blocking potential to thevoltage regulating triode so as to make its impedance infinite, therebyacting as a high tension circuit breaker.

The invention is described more in detail in the followingspecification, which is accompanied by a drawing the single figure ofwhich is a schematic representation of my invention.

Referring to the drawing, there is a vacuum tube transmitter 2, theoutput of which is modulated by a suitable key or speech modulator 4,and thereafter is transmitted from any appropriate antenna or otherutilization circuit 6. The direct current excitation for the transmitter2 is provided from a high tension direct current power supply 8, which,in practice, may be a tube rectifier, motor generator, or any desiredarrangement for converting alternating current power to direct currentpower at high voltage.

In accordance with my invention, in series with the source 8 there isinserted a'voltage regulating triode 10. The cathode to anode circuit isconnected in the main supply line, so that by varying the potential onthe control electrode of the tube the impedance thereof may be varied,and since this action is instantaneous in response, the rapidity of themodulation from the modulation source 4 is of no consequence. In serieswith the source 8 there is provided a resistance 12, and the potentialdrop across this resistance is used to determine the bias potential ofthe triode 14:, the anode circuit of which includes a resistance 16, thepotential drop across which is in turn used todetermine the biaspotential of the Voltage regulating triode 10. This arrangement resultsin the impedance of the voltage regulating triode 10 being varied inresponse to the load. but in inverse sense, and to a degree which is adustable by varying the magnitude of the resistances 12 and 16.

The use of resistances, rather than other impedances, tends to keep thearrangement in- 5 '2. An inertialess high voltage regulating triode isbiased to out 'ofi', that is, the impedance of the triode be-v comeslarge, and can even be made infinite,

, especially if a bias battery such-as 20 is added creases as the loadincreases in such a'manner that the voltage applied to theload circuitremains substantially constant. Tube 14 'functions'so as to'control thegrid of tube 10 l in sucha manner that the desired action takes place.For example, an increase in load increases the voltage drop in resistor12 which makes thecathode of tube lfl more positive .with respectto itsgrid, or, in other words,

7 V thegrid becomes more negative with respect j to the filament.t'lfhisdecreases the anode current through tube 14, and decreases thevoltage drop in resistor 16. Consequently, thepotential of the anode oftubelt and the gridoftube 10 become more nearly the poten- ,tial ofthe'positive source 8, and in this man- I 3 0 gner the grid of tube 101is made more positive with respect to its cathode thereby decreasing theresistance oftube '10 in such a manner as tot'end to h old constant theload voltage. By ,makingthe action of tube 14in controlling tube 10great enough, the voltage on the load can beheld constant over a largerange of .load currents. I V If a single source 8 is used to energize aplurality of transmitters 2, 4, a separate volt- 40 age regulator isprovided in series with each transmitter supply lea-d. so that each isregulated in accordance with its own modulation. ;At the same. time theuse of separate overload relays servesto protect the troubled circuits45. without interrupting the others, which is a I a feature of greatvalue in the practical opera- 7 tion of a station. j

I claim: i

t 1, inertialess voltage regulator for di- ;;rect-current comprising avoltage regulating electron discharge device the cathode to and hightension circuit breaker fora tension direct current supply circuitcornprising a voltagev regulating electron discharge device the cathodetoanode circuit of which is connected in'series"withthe'supply.Vcircuit,a resistance connectedin series with" the supply circuit, anoverload rel'ay ar- 1 ranged in series with the supply circuit,fand

' means couplingthe resistance and relay-to the control electrode of theelectron discharge device so that the impedance of the electrondischargedevice is varied inversely in response to the load flowingtherethrough, but is madeextremely greatupon actuation of the overloadrelay. 1

'3. A transmission system comprising an electron emission tubetransmitter, means to modulate the output of the transmitter, a

"source" of direct; current ftorthe' anodes of the transmittertubespandmeans to keep the direct: voltage constant during modulationcomprlslng a voltage regulating electron dis- "charge devicexthe cathodeto anode circuit oi which is connected in series with the source,aresistance in series with the source,

control electrode of the electron discharge'devlce in response to thepotential acrossthe resistance that the impedance of the electron.discharge device is varied in inverse sense to the load flowingtherethrough,

4:. A transmission system" "comprising an electron emissiontube'transmitter, means to modulate the output of -the transmitter, asource of high tension direct current for the anodes of the transmittertubes, a voltage regulating electrondischarge device the oath 1 ode toanode circuit of which" is connected in series with the'direct currentsource, a

'resistance and an overload relay also ar ranged in series with thedirect current source, and meansso coupling the resistance and relay tothe control electrode of the elec tron discharge device that itsimpedance-is var1ed inversely in response to the current flowtherethrough, but. is madeextremely great upon actuation of the overloadrelay.

CLARENCE W. HANSELL..

- anode circuit of which is connected in series with the supply clrcult,a second electron the first electron discharge device so that thedischarge device, a resistance in series with the supply circuit fordetermining the poteny tial on the control electrode of the secondelectron discharge device, and a resistance in series' with the anode ofthe second electron discharge d'evice for determining the potentialapplied to the control electrode of a ,impedanceof the first triode isvaried in re- 1 in inverse sense. V

ponseto'theloadflowing therethrough but voltage regulator and means toso'vary the potentialonthe Z CERTEFIGATE (H CQRREGTEON.

Patent No. 1,874,981. August 30, 1932.

CLARENCE W. HANSELL.

I: is hereby certified iiizii error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as feilows: Page 2,line 62, ciaim l, for "triode" read "eieeiron discharge device"; andthat the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction thereinthat the same may conform to the record of the ease in the PatentOffice.

Signed and sealed this iiiih day of January, A. D. i933.

M. J. Moore,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

